6/01/2012

Some quotes from 18th-century Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards that apply to former Senator, former presidential candidate, formerly beloved man, current adulterer extraordinaire John Edwards:

1. From "Humiliation": "A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble broken-hearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires. Their hope is a humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble broken-hearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit; and more like a little child, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behavior."

2. From "Directions for Judging of Persons' Experiences": "See to it...That they be convinced both of sins of heart and life: that their pretenses of sense of sin of heart be not without reflection on their wicked practice; and also that they are not only convinced of sin of practice, but sin of heart. And in both, that what troubles 'em be those things wherein their wretchedness has really chiefly consisted."

3. From the same: "See to it...Whether, when they tell of their experiences, it is not with such an air that you as it were feel that they expect to be admired and applauded, and [whether they] won't be disappointed if they fail of discerning in you something of that nature; and shocked and displeased if they discover the contrary."

4. From "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God": "[T]hey are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down."

Back in 2005, the Rude Pundit loved John Edwards in a slavering, ball-licking way because, unlike so many others in the Democratic Party, he was willing to reach beyond the middle class and down into the lower reaches of our economic caste system to say that the lives and opinions of the most destitute Americans are worthy of our consideration and are necessary for democracy to function as it's supposed to.

His fall, due to the usual reasons, too much hubris, too much listening to his dick over his brain, our bizarrely Puritan desire to punish people for cheating on their wives, hopefully isn't the end of him or a discredit to his causes. Shit, in the current political context, having lived through a Gingrich resurgence for a little while, it would almost have to be Edwards' choice not to have a next act.

And who's to say that many of us, sinners all (although the Rude Pundit thinks he'll be able to die without saying he fucked around on a cancer-ridden spouse), wouldn't follow him again.